Chip Kelly was all but named Tampa Bay's head coach in January before he changed his mind and returned to Oregon at the last minute. Kelly may not have fully accepted the Tampa Bay vacancy, but the siren's call of the NFL will eventually ensnare the innovate collegiate coach.

"Former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said Thursday it is 'inevitable' that Chip Kelly one day leaves the school for the NFL," Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com reported.

And it could happen as early as this off season.

"There are nine chances in 10 if he wins out [this season] he's gone," a source told Dodd.

The two teams already mentioned as possibilities for Kelly include the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles if they eventually dismiss their current head coaches.

The Cleveland opening is believed to be inevitable with the team under new management. Joe Banner is the team's new President.

"For me, the pool of potential (coaching) talent is the entire league and all the relationships I've developed over the years," Banner told Mary Kay Cabot of the the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I'm not just going to be plucking people out of my past. You see coaches come in and the whole staff is somebody they used to work with. They're not hiring the best of the best when they do that."

Banner's comment about the "entire league" seems to insinuate he'll hire an experienced NFL coach to eventually replace Pat Shurmur and not Kelly.

Report: Eagles to make ‘heavy push’ for Chip KellyPosted by John Taylor on December 24, 2012, 8:48 AM ESTChip Kelly Getty Images

Even before a report emerged earlier this week that Oregon will appear before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions at some point this coming year, Chip Kelly‘s name had been bandied about as a potential option for NFL teams looking for a new head coach this offseason.

The Yahoo! Sports report, though — that the NCAA had slapped aside the university’s attempt at a summary disposition in the Willie Lyles case — fueled speculation that Kelly would pull a Carroll and take his leave of Eugene before potential sanctions, at least temporarily, put a significant dent in the Ducks’ juggernaut football program.

Consider more fuel added to the speculative fire.

In a Sunday report, CBSSports.com NFL insider Jason La Confora writes that, according to league sources, “the Philadelphia Eagles will consider Chip Kelly to replace Andy Reid.” Additionally, as La Confora tells it, “multiple executives with rival teams anticipate Philadelphia making a heavy push to land the Oregon head coach.”

On multiple levels, the reports connecting Kelly to the NFL make sense; in January of this year, Kelly nearly took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers job offered to him before deciding to return to the Ducks. In the weeks leading up to the Tampa wooing, the Miami Dolphins were also reportedly in contact with Kelly about their vacancy.

Thus far, however, Kelly has yet to even remotely address the latest NFL rumors that are swirling around his name once again. In addition to Philadelphia, Kelly has also been connected to potential openings in Cleveland (Browns fan writer’s note: ABS — Anybody But Shurmur) and with the Carolina Panthers.

In the meantime, Oregon will continue preparations for their Jan. 3 Fiesta Bowl date against Kansas State.

Kelly’s not the only collegiate coach to see his name attached to the NFL, though, as Alabama’s Nick Saban has been mentioned multiple times as a possibility in Cleveland as well. On that front, La Confora’s sources say it’s “80-20″ Saban stays in Tuscaloosa. My sources put it at “100-0,” but your mileage based on the Miami debacle may vary.

I doubt seriously that Kelly would go to Philly... I could see an outside shot at Cleveland. I think the situation Kelly would go for is a team that needs the offense rebuilt so he can mold it into his read-option offense he uses in Oregon.

That would make teams like Arizona or Kansas City more likely destinations... Not that they are options right now.

With the s*** storm coming Oregon's way you can bet your sweet ass that Kelly will not be coaching in Oregon next year. He's going to do exactly what Pete Carroll did when he left USC before the sanction boom hit the Trojans.

I think Philly is good spot for Kelly. He has 2 QBs in place to choose from (Vick/Foles), playmakers at RB (McCoy), WR (Jackson), some pieces up front on the OL, a capable D-line, a solid MLB.

He's not going to come into a better situation where he can win now. Every other potential job is going to be a big work in progress. Cleveland could be intriguing because they have a number of nice young pieces, but you have to make a decision on Brandon Weeden.

Kelly coached against Foles at Oregon, and Vick is the sort of mobile QB that has shined in Oregon's spread offense.

Carolina is also a place that makes sense because they have Newton, and honestly that would probably be the best spot for him. He won't have to deal with the pressure to win now as he would in Philly.

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